Bee forage check

How good is this spot for honey bees?

Enter an address or tap the map. You'll see which bee plants and crops are within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more), when the honey flow comes and when there's a dearth, nearby water, a few things worth checking, and how the spot ranks against random sites in your state and across the country.

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Forage on the map in —

National map

The colors are the national forage map: every square kilometer of the lower 48, scored the same way. See the honey flow for your state and town, the best and worst spots we found, or how the scoring works.

Forage report for 43.3689, -86.1848

Estimated forage here is better than about 19% of sites in Michigan. Against other Michigan sites it stands out most in fall (84th percentile) and lowest in summer (22nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 2.2 mi S); alfalfa (nearest 1.6 mi S, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.6 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: open water, less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

Continental US: 49th percentile (spring 56th, summer 62nd, fall 75th)
Michigan: 19th percentile (spring 35th, summer 22nd, fall 84th)
Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains: 1st percentile (spring 49th, summer 2nd, fall 84th)

Percentile among 3,000 random land points across Michigan, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.

Season

First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
Fall flow: Aug 16 to Sep 30 — Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion
Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

Apples: about 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi S, blooms early May – late May
Alfalfa: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Sep
Corn: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi S, blooms late Jul – early Aug
Alfalfa: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Sep
Corn: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi S, blooms late Jul – early Aug
Blueberries: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi SW, blooms early May – late May

What the honey would be made of

Spring honey (March to June): Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber
Summer honey (July and August): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Summer-flowering shrubs, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber
Fall honey (September to November): Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber
Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber

Things to watch

Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025); Blueberries: insecticides used on about 74% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.

An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021-2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. Honey composition is a nectar-source estimate, not a pollen analysis. Benchmark 2026.5. How this works.